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A SKETCH 



OF THE LATE 



RtRev.PHILLIPSBROOKS.D.D. 



HIS PRIVATE SECRETARY, 
THE REV. WILLIAM HENRY BROOKS, D. D. 



"His body is buried in peace, but his name liveth for ever more.' ^ 
-Ecclesiasticus, xliv: 14. 



. BOSTON: 
D. W. COLBATH & CO, 
1894. 




^ 



-&%> 



W CO*©****] 



Copyright, by 
DANIEL W. COLBATH, 

1893. 



LC Control Number 



The Columbian Printing Co. 




tmp96 031669 



NOTE TO THE ILLUSTRATIONS. 



The two illustrations which embellish this 
little sketch of Bishop Brooks' life will have a 
peculiar interest to all lovers of the revered 
Bishop, both in themselves and in their relation- 
ship to each other. 

The illustration of the house is that of his sum- 
mer home at North Andover, Mass., where he 
spent many a happy hour of his life. 

The portrait is from the well known "Andover 
Photograph," and was taken after he was elected 
Bishop of Massachusetts. 

Sitting upon the piazza of this same Andover 
home one beautiful August day, engaged in con- 
versation with one of his Clergy, the Rev. George 
Walker, then Rector of the Andover Parish, our 
artist found him and made bold to ask him to sit 
then and there for his picture. He laughingly 
consented to the request, and took a position 
which is recognized by all who intimately knew 



NOTE TO ILLUSTRATIONS. 4 

him as strongly characteristic. Proofs of the re- 
sult were shown to him, and he kindly consented 
to their sale to those who might wish them. This 
picture is probably the last he ever sat for in 
America, and is regarded by many as the best. 
A well known writer speaks of it as follows : 
" Many as are the pictures of Bishop Brooks, the 
one which will be handed down as perhaps the 
truest likeness of him, is that which presents 
him in his ordinary citizen's dress, and is known 
as the 'Andover Photograph.' It has the medi- 
tative and thoughtful mood which all will re- 
member, and expresses the strength and the 
repose of the man." 



PREFATORY, 



[ Xote by the Editor of the Girls' Friendly 
Magazine. 

Our late Bishop Brooks was to write an 
Easter Greeting for the Girls' Friendly 
Magazine, in which he took a hearty in- 
terest. Since, by the providence of God, we 
are denied that privilege, nothing seemed 
more fitting than that we should, if possi- 
ble, have a sketch of the late Bishop from 
his Private Secretary, the Rev. William 
Henry Brooks, D. D., whose relationship 
with him, during the year and a quarter of 
his Episcopate, was so intimate. Although 
overwhelmed with work, Dr. Brooks has 
kindly consented to do this for our Maga- 
zine.] 



PREFATORY. 6 

In compliance with the wishes of many 
friends of the subject of this Sketch, which 
originally appeared in the Girls' Friendly 
Magazine for March, 1893, it has been en- 
larged, and appears in its present form. 

W. H. B. 

All Saints' Day, A. D. 1893. 



A SKETCH OF THE LATE 

Rt. Rev. PHILLIPS BROOKS, D. D. 



TN giving this brief sketch of the 
* late Bishop Brooks, the deep 
and abiding sense of the great and 
precious privilege I enjoyed, in hold- 
ing to him the official relation of 
Private Secretary, giving to me the 
opportunity of knowing his purity 
of life, nobleness of aim, conscien- 
tious discharge of duty, and stead- 
fast walk with God, brings to mind 
the words of the Queen of Sheba, 
with reference to the household of 
King Solomon : " Happy are thy men, 



8 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

and happy are these thy servants, 
which stand continually before thee, 
and hear th}^ wisdom." 

Like the blessed Apostle St. Paul, 
when he said to the Romans, "I speak 
to yon, Gentiles, inasmuch as I am 
the Apostle of the Gentiles, I mag- 
nify mine office," he magnified his 
high and holy office, but not himself 
nor his intellectual powers. He had 
no high thoughts of himself, nor of 
his intellectual and spiritual gifts, 
nor 3 T et, in a worldly sense, of the 
great dignity and honor of the high- 
est order of the Christian Ministry, 
but he did have a deep and overrul- 
ing conviction of the importance, the 
opportunity and the responsibility of 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 9 

the office of a Bishop in the Church 
of God, and during his happy and 
blessed Episcopate of fifteen months, 
he made full proof of this Ministry, 
both in the sight of God and of men. 
Obedient to the injunction of his 
Divine Master, " Let }^our light so 
shine before men, that they maj^ see 
your good works, and glorify your 
Father which is in Heaven," his 
light, clear, bright, and constant, 
was reflected from the Sun of Right- 
eousness, and was shed abroad, for 
the single purpose of promoting the 
glory of God and the salvation of 
men. A dominant characteristic in 
his Episcopate was his fidelity in all 
things. 



io A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

Like - minded with the " Sweet 
Singer of the Temple," 

" Teach me, my God and King 
In all things Thee to see, 

And what I do in anything 
To do it as for Thee," 

nothing appertaining to his high 
and hol}^ office was so little or unim- 
portant as to escape his attention, or 
fail to secure his prompt action ; and 
therefore it was not strange that, ac- 
cording to our Lord's saying, " He 
that is faithful in that which is least 
is faithful also in much," the more 
weighty and more important duties 
of his office were faithfully and con- 
scientiously discharged. 

A very large part of his time was 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS, n 

taken up by calls from the Clergy 
and Laity of the Diocese, desiring to 
consult with, him relative to the 
maintenance, enlargement and pros- 
perity of the work of the Church in 
their respective fields. Disposed in 
his heart to give himself wholly to 
the people committed to his charge, 
he gave them of his time, not grudg- 
ingly, nor of necessity, but as a 
cheerful giver. In the giving of his 
time, how generous to others, how 
parsimonious to himself ! 

When I said to him that he was 
so occupied with the duties of the 
Episcopal office that he had no time 
for himself, he replied, " I have 
plenty of time." When asked when 



12 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

and where, he answered, " In the 
railroad cars." On many a day the 
stream of callers began as early as 
eight o'clock in the morning, and 
did not cease nntil long after noon. 
Most of the callers he received were 
by previous appointment ; if, how- 
ever, anj^ one called who had not 
made such an arrangement, an in- 
terview was cheerfully granted by 
the Bishop, provided he had any 
time at his disposal. 

Soon after his Consecration, I sug- 
gested to him that he have office 
hours, in order to secure some time 
for himself. His reply was char- 
acteristic, and worthy of a devoted 
follower of Him who cared last and 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 13 

least for Himself. "A Clergyman 
may come from a distance to see 
me, and be compelled to return 
very soon. Not knowing my office 
hours (should there be such), he 
might fail of the accomplishment of 
his errand, and so have his journey 
to no purpose. Or a Layman, leav- 
ing his business to consult with me, 
not knowing of the observance of 
office hours (should there be such), 
might find his time wasted, and be 
disappointed of the desired inter- 
view. No, I am not willing to have 
office hours. If people wish to see 
me, I ought to and will see them." 

On another occasion when some 
one spoke to him of the great con- 



14 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

sumption of his time, in receiving 
the almost numberless calls of per- 
sons who desired his counsel and 
assistance, and the wear and tear of 
his strength which must follow in 
consequence, he replied with great 
emphasis, "God save the day when 
they won't come to me." 

Notes — and their name was le- 
gion — pertaining to his work in its 
manifold relations, daily poured in 
upon him like a deluge, and would 
have submerged any other man ; but 
in his case every respectful note 
received a prompt answer, always 
couched in a very graceful and kind- 
ly style, and written in a hand re- 
markable for its beauty and clearness. 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 15 

The very numerous requests for in- 
formation on all points, doctrinal, 
ecclesiastical, social and domestic, 
which, came to him from all parts of 
the county, no matter how difficult 
of repty, nor how consumptive of 
time, were answered without delay 
to the best of his ability; and in 
those instances, where for lack of 
knowledge he himself could not fur- 
nish the information, he sought and 
obtained it elsewhere. Very many 
of these requests were such as might 
property have been addressed to a 
bureau of information, and were an 
intrusion upon his time and atten- 
tion. I can hardby conceive how 
any other man would have done any-- 



16 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

thing with these inquiries but throw 
them into the waste-paper basket, as 
having no claim upon him for an 
answer. But in no case where it 
was possible did he omit to furnish 
these inquirers with what they de- 
sired to know. 

A young man in this city, wish- 
ing to obtain a certificate of his 
baptism, wrote to the Bishop for his 
assistance. All the information he 
could impart on the subject, was 
that he had been baptized in a cer- 
tain city, in a foreign country, and 
in a High Church. There was some- 
thing very amusing in the thought 
of his addressing the Bishop as if he 
were an expert in High Churches. 




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A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 17 

He was powerless to help in the mat- 
ter, and as his cnstom was, when he 
could not give the desired inform- 
ation, he came to me, and said, "What 
can you do about this ? " I said, "I 
will do all that can be done, and that 
is, send to the young man a list of 
all the Anglican Churches in that 
city, with the names of their Rec- 
tors, and he will have to do the rest." 
A soldier's widow in Minnesota, 
intending to apply for a pension 
from the General Government, wrote 
to the Bishop, asking him to procure 
for her an attested copy of the record 
in the Parish Register, of her mar- 
riage. The case was complicated by 
two very important facts, that the 



18 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

Minister wlio officiated at the mar- 
riage was dead, and the Parish in 
which it took place was extinct. By 
his direction, inquiry was made, as 
to what disposition had been made of 
the Parish Register. It was found in 
the possession of a near connection of 
the deceased Clergyman, and a copy 
of the record of her marriage, taken 
from it, and attested by the Bishop, 
in his official character, was sent to 
the applicant. 

The Bishop received a letter from 
New York City, requesting him to 
direct the proper person to send a 
list of all the papers and periodicals 
published by the several Parishes in 
his Diocese. This seemed very 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 19 

much like turning the Bishop into a 
Bureau of Information, but with, his 
infinite goodness of heart, and desire 
to help his fellow-men, he asked me, 
if, in his behalf, I could and would 
prepare such a list. It cost me many 
hours of labor, but I did not tell him 
of this, for had he known it, the 
list would have been unsupplied, as 
while cruelly unsparing of himself, 
he never failed to think of and care 
for me, lest I should be overbur- 
dened. 

While he was absent across the 
sea, a letter came for him from a 
distant state, which was forwarded 
to him. The writer desired to know 
from him whether it would be possi- 



20 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

ble to secure a position for herself in 
the house of one of the Diocesan 
Institutions, where she could have 
her children with her, and if that 
were not possible, if he could re- 
commend to her a suitable boarding 
place. He sent the letter to me 
with a request that I would answer 
it to the best of my ability, and 
that I should be especially careful to 
explain to the writer that the delay 
in receiving an answer to her let- 
ter, was owing to the absence of the 
Bishop. What could be kinder or 
more thoughtful ! 

While these requests for informa- 
tion, unceasing and almost without 
number, consumed a large portion 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 21 

of his time, and no small amount of 
his working power, there is one 
thought in connection with this 
matter which gilds it with a pure 
glory, and that is this : that in the 
minds of these writers, there was 
one man so large-hearted and sym- 
pathetic, that any respectful appli- 
cation for advice and assistance, if 
within his power, no matter how 
heavily burdened he was with the 
inherent duties of his office, would 
surely receive from him promptly 
and cheerfully, all that he could 
give. In this respect, no man ever 
complied more fully with St. Paul's 
injunction : u He that showeth mercy, 
with cheerfulness. 5 ' 



22 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

[An instance of this patient will- 
ingness to be bothered by trivialities 
once came nnder our observation. 
Not long before he became Bishop a 
story was being told that some one 
tried to sell him some cats, recom- 
mending them as " Episcopal cats." 
Two little girls near Boston were 
interested in the story, and ventur- 
ing to write to Dr. Brooks to ask if 
it were true, received the following 
reply : 

" Dear Moixie and Lucy: — The story 
about the kittens is not true, but it is not 
the kittens' fault. 

' ' Yours truly, 

"Phillips Brooks." 

The Rev. William Lawrence, D.D., 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 23 

of Cambridge, tells another exam- 
ple of this admirable characteristic. 
"Who is this man who writes this 
letter?'* said the Bishop to a friend 
in his study awhile ago; "you ought 
to be able to tell me, for he comes 
from your town. He wants to know 
if I think it is right to play chess. " 
"That man," the friend answered, 
"is a poor old crank. There is noth- 
ing for you to do but to throw his 
letter in the waste basket." " That 
I will not do," was his answer. "He 
has written me a courteous letter, 
and I am going to return him a 
courteous answer, like a gentleman." 
— Editor Girls' Friendly Magazine?^ 
In the matter of arranging his 



24 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

Episcopal Visitations, nothing could 
exceed his painstaking care and 
never-failing desire to meet the 
wishes of his Clergy as to the time 
of his official visit to their Parishes 
and Missionary Stations. The rough 
draft of his plan of visitations, with 
its numerous alterations on page 
after page, shows that he cared noth- 
ing for his own convenience and 
choice in this matter, but cared only 
to meet the wishes of those to whom 
the several flocks in his Diocese 
were committed. His list of visita- 
tions for the year 1893, from Jan- 
uary 1 to June 21, consisted of no 
less than eleven printed pages of 
the names of the Churches and 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 25 

times for their visitations. His last 
Episcopal visit was at the annual 
meeting of the Choir Guild of Grace 
Church, Newton, on the evening of 
Wednesday, January 18. As we 
look forward and see the nine sub- 
sequent pages of visitations which 
God in His providence did not per- 
mit him to make, "we think how it 
was in his heart to accomplish this 
large work, and this purpose will be 
forgotten bj^ neither God nor men. 

The Bishop was very deeply and 
w^armly interested in his Candidates 
for Holy Orders, never omitting to 
keep himself in touch with them, 
both by personal interview and writ- 
ten communication. It was his con- 



26 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

stant habit to admit no one as a 
Candidate for Holy Orders without 
having at the time a personal inter- 
view. The presentation of the re- 
quired papers would have been all 
that is required b} T the canons of the 
Church, but he was not satisfied 
until an opportunity was had for 
personal conversation with the can- 
didate about the great work upon 
the preparation of which he was 
about to enter. 

The following incident will illus- 
trate his very great sensitiveness as 
to any misgiving, on the part of 
others, as to his whole-hearted and 
steadfast Lyyalty to the Church. 

On a memorable occasion, at a 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 27 

large gathering of Churchmen, the 
Bishop made a most remarkable 
address, speaking strikingly and 
beautifully of Massachusetts, his 
native state, her scenery, her prod- 
ucts, her manufactures, her educa- 
tional and charitable institutions; 
and after paying to her a most elo- 
quent and warm-hearted tribute, as 
one of her children, he spoke of the 
duty and privilege of planting the 
Church, of which he w r as one of the 
chief pastors, throughout its length 
and breadth. The following morn- 
ing, when he was told that his ad- 
dress had given great satisfaction, 
and that there were not a few pres- 
ent the evening before, who were 



28 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

surprised at the Churchly character 
of his address, he looked, not dis- 
pleased, but deeply hurt, that any 
one could suppose him to be not 
firmly and devotedly attached to the 
Church, and said, " What did they 
suppose I had been in the Ministry 
thirty-two years for ? " 

In administering the affairs of the 
Church, its law was most strictly 
observed. Strange as it may sound, 
his strict adherence to the law of 
the Church caused him to be re- 
garded and spoken of by some as "a 
stickler for the canons." 

He always insisted on the strict 
observance of the law of the Church, 
as it was. It mattered not to him 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 29 

whether the law was such as he ap- 
proved of or not, it was the law, and 
nothing was to be done but to obey 
it, both in letter and spirit. On one 
occasion, speaking of some part of 
the Canon Law, which did not com- 
mend itself to his judgment, and 
which was frequently ignored, he 
said " We must obey the Law, as it 
is now ; and if we wish it different, 
we must try and change it in a con- 
stitutional way." 

While he did not undervalue the 
importance of Ecclesiastical legisla- 
tion, he had no relish for this work, 
and would have been contented, had 
not duty required him to take part 
in it, to leave it entirely to others. 



30 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

In a letter written during the ses- 
sion of the General Convention at 
Baltimore in October, 1892, he says : 
" All goes slowly here. The weather 
is delightful, the people hospitable, 
the business easy, — and I wish I 
were at home." 

In administering the affairs of the 
Diocese there was an entire absence 
of the least trace of a partisan spirit. 
The Ministers and the Churches 
were committed to his care as a 
Father in God. He looked upon 
them as his spiritual famil}^ and 
however divergent the views of any 
of these might be from those held 
by himself, this divergence never 
prevented him from regarding and 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 31 

treating them with all the consider- 
ation, justice and affection which 
ought to characterize so high and 
holy a relation. In his intercourse 
it may be truly said of him, his 
heart went out to his Clergy as that 
of a father to his children. In a let- 
ter from Lucerne, written August, 
1892, he saj^s, " To-day I have had 
visible association with the Diocese, 
for I listened this morning to an ad- 
mirable sermon from Mr. Pine of 
Marlborough, who is chaplain here 
this summer, and who gave us all 
his blessing in the Old Katholik 
Church where the American Episco- 
palians hold, their Sunday service." 
In a Diocese comprising more 



32 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

than two hundred Clergy, it would 
be impossible that some of them 
should not say or do things that 
would not have his approval. Yet, 
during his entire Episcopate, when 
the affairs of the Diocese were 
spoken of in the freest and most 
familiar manner, I never heard him 
make a disparaging remark about 
any one of his Clerg\\ 

In his intercourse with his breth- 
ren poor in this world's goods, he 
was especially kind and tender, feel- 
ing, with the " Divine Herbert," 

" Man is God's image ; but a poore man is 
Christ's stamp to boot: both images regard. 
God reckons for him, counts the favor His." 

While his character was eminent- 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 33 

ly robust and manly, entirely want- 
ing in self consciousness, it also 
possessed in large measure, sensibil- 
ity and tenderness. And it maj^ be 
trul}^ said of him, 

"Both sexes' virtues were in him com- 
bined ; 

He had all the manliness of the manliest 
mind, 

And all the tenderness of womankind. 
He never knew what envy was, nor hate, 

His soul was filled with a thing quite out 
of date, 

Called Modesty." 

His quickness of perception, 
amounting to insight, enabled him 
at once to comprehend and fully 
grasp any subject brought before 
him, so that it was needless for him 



34 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

to spend time in reflection after a 
case had been stated. 

One morning, when I came to the 
house, the Bishop opened the door, 
with a pleasant u Good morning.' ' 
As I entered the hall, I saw one of 
his most intimate clerical friends, 
who had passed the night with him, 
about to leave. The Bishop turned 
to him, saying: "Here comes the 
Secretar\^, looking as fresh and 
smart as if he had not been up all 
night. " To this I made no reply, 
but turning to his friend, I said: 
"The man who is the Bishop's Sec- 
retary, rrnist be smart. I have been 
waiting a whole j^ear to sa}^ some- 
thing to the Bishop, but will wait no 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 35 

longer. The Bishop is to pass the 
Christmas week in New York, and 
if what I say incurs Episcopal dis- 
pleasure, I am sure that it will be 
entirely dissipated by the time he 
returns." The Bishop then said, 
"What is it you have been waiting 
a whole year to say to me ? " I said 
"It is this : that you get at the heart 
of a subject so quickhr, seeing its 
relations and bearings instantly^, 
that I should think to you other 
men would seem dull and stupid." 
The Bishop said, " Have you been 
waiting a whole j^ear to say this ? I 
hope that j^ou feel better." 

As an indication of his generosity 
in arguing with those from whom 



36 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

he very positively differed, the follow- 
ing will serve as an apt illustration : 
In compliance with the request 
made by a clerical brother, I had 
given a written opinion upon an im- 
portant point of Canon Law. The 
Bishop was much surprised at my 
opinion, and so expressed him^ 
self to me. After a very earnest, 
but kindly discussion, each failed to 
convince the other, and so it was 
left where it began, until he, while 
leaving the room, said to me in that 
spirit of unselfish generosity so 
characteristic of him, "I am bound 
to say that the view you take is the 
same as that taken by my predeces- 
sor, Bishop Paddock." What could 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 37 

have been more magnanimous ! On 
another occasion, at the end of a 
conversation with him, after express- 
ing my views, I found that they were 
the very reverse of what he held on 
the subject, and said to him, "I am 
very sorry that I have said what I 
have just said." "Why?" lie ques- 
tioned. I replied, " Because it is not 
pleasant to me to differ with you 
in opinion." He then said with 
great emphasis and feeling, " This 
is a free country, and every man 
has the right to express his own 
opinions." 

His generosity and wisdom in 
giving are strikingly show x n in the 
following incident : 



3§ A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

An officer of the Woman's Auxil- 
iary was suddenty called upon to try 
to obtain a set of special instruments 
to send to a Medical Missionary, 
who was on the eve of starting for 
Japan. The call came too late for 
the monthly meeting, and in the ur- 
gent need, she bethought herself of 
consulting Dr. Brooks, thinking that 
he might suggest some one of his 
wealthy parishioners, or perhaps 
have some funds at his command. 
Although it was ten o'clock at night, 
after a hard da} T , he heard her not 
only patiently, but with real inter- 
est, asking questions and making 
comments. Finally she said, " A 
good set will cost $100, but an in- 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 39 

ferior one can be bought for S50." 
He said quickly, "Would you send 
your son to the war with an old- 
fashioned musket, instead of a rifle ? 
The man who goes to fight Satan in 
his strongholds must have the best 
appliances that can be obtained. 
Telegraph to Miss Emer}^ to get the 
best set possible,- and you shall have 
the mone3^ next week." When the 
check was received, it was drawn on 
his personal account, not from an} T 
of the Church funds. 

His love and loyalty to his native 
country show themselves in a letter 
from London, July, 1892, in which 
he says : " All England is excited 
over the General Election, and it 



40 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

would be hard for America to exceed 
the bitterness and vehemence which 
the contest excites. Indeed, I think 
that the more one travels here, the 
more he feels that, while there is 
very much to admire and desire in 
these English ways, the simplicity 
and directness of our American fash- 
ions of doing things are far more 
satisfactory." 

In another letter, written the same 
month, he says: " I wonder now and 
then who is left at home, so much 
of the American Nation and of the 
American Church seem to be over 
here. If only they do not get infat- 
uated with the old-time ways of this 
old people, so that they try to im- 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 41 

itate them at home, their summer 
travel will do them great good." 

The following extract from a let- 
ter of August, 1892, gives us an 
insight into the depth of his attach- 
ment to his old friends: "I am trav- 
elling with my dear old friend, Dr. 
McYickar, with whom I have wan- 
dered over many lands, and seen all 
kinds of sights. There is nothing 
which makes friendship richer than 
multitudinous experiences shared 
with one who is worth knowing and 
liking more and more, so that this 
summer has had a good deal of the 
richness of old summers in it." 

In a later letter he says : " I spent 
yesterday in Philadelphia, among 



42 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

the dear old friends whom it is 
always good to see." 

St. Paul's words to the Romans — 
" Not slothful in business ; fervent 
in spirit ; serving the Lord " — truly 
describe his short but blessed work 
in the Episcopate. I never saw him 
unemployed. His active brain was 
constantly busied in thought, his 
hands ministering to some personal 
want or great charity, his feet occu- 
pied in errands of inercy to the bodies 
and souls of men, and he rested 
from his labors only when he had 
finished his course. 

Our Lord and Master, " by His 
almighty power, can send to sleep 
His faithful servants, when the 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 43 

work of life is done." His work was 
done, and "well done," and rest came 
unexpectedly to him in the midst of 
tireless service and unspeakable 
usefulness. "The Jewish doctors 
taught that the Angel Gabriel drew 
gently out, with a kiss, the souls of 
the righteous from their mouths ; 
to something of which kind, the 
phrase so often used to express the 
peaceful departure of the saints, ' In 
oscido Domini obdormivit, — He slept 
in the kiss of the Lord ' — must 
allude." 

His unlooked for death invests 
his last official act with undesigned 
pathos ; this was to hand to me let- 
ters relating to the reception of a 



44 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

Clergyman into the Diocese from 
another country, saying to me, 
" Please place these on file, and, 
later, call my attention to them.'' 
Three days " later," at 6.30 o'clock 
in the morning of Monday, January 
23, A. D. 1S93, after a painful ill- 
ness, by which he was confined to 
his bed but four days, he passed 
from his exceeding abundant labors, 
eminently blessed of God, to the 
light and joy of Paradise. 

It has been strikingly said b} r the 
late Christopher Wordsworth, Bish- 
op of Lincoln : 

" The place into which the souls 
of the faithful go immediately on 
their departure from the bod}^ at 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS, 45 

death, and in winch they remain 
untiL the resurrection of the bod}~, 
is called Paradise, not only on ac- 
count of what it is, but also on 
account of what it is not. 

It is called Paradise, because 
it is like a spiritual garden or park, 
or place fenced off from common 
ground, and far more beautiful. 
And as, literally, the word Paradise 
meant a royal park of an Eastern 
King, and as the park led to the 
palace, but was not the palace, so, 
in a spiritual sense, the word Para- 
dise, as used by our Blessed Lord 
and the Apostles, meant a blessed 
place separate from earth, and far 
more lovely than any earthly region. 



46 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

Yet the park is not the palace ; and 
though Paradise leads to Heaven, 
which is the Royal Palace of the 
Eternal King, }~et Paradise is not 
Heaven. And as, in a literal sense, 
the presence of Eastern Kings was 
oftener vouchsafed to their paradise 
or park than to other places, so we 
are authorized by Holy Scripture to 
believe that the souls of the faith- 
ful, which are in Paradise, have a 
nearer view of the Divine Presence 
than they ever had upon earth, 
and are, therefore, said to be ' with 
Christ,' and to be ' in the hands of 
God,' and so are unspeakably happy ; 
3^et thej- have not as \ T et attained 
to the perfect ]o\ of the beatific 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 47 

vision, to which they will be ad- 
mitted at the general resurrection, 
when the bodies of the faithful will 
be reunited to their souls, and 
which they will enjoy forever in 
heaven" 

No longer did he need to get him 
"to" the mountain of myrrh and to 
the hill of frankincense," — the 
means of grace through which we 
receive the aid, guidance and bless- 
ing of the Saviour, — for in the 
dawn of that winter morning, to 
him the heavenly day had already 
broken and the shadows fled away, 
and he was with Christ. 

"To depart, and to be with Christ" 
was "far better" for him, "neverthe- 



48 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

less to abide in the flesh" was more 
needful for us. 

"Around him wrapt earth's shadows and 
its storm, 
With here and there a glimpse of purest 
Heaven. 

" But the morn breaks, a morning with- 
out clouds, 
A clear calm shining when the rain is o'er, 
He lieth where no mist of earth en- 
shrouds 
In God's great sunlight wrapped for ever- 
more." 

I have not the heart to enter upon 
the details of his illness and death : 
the most sorrowful features were his 
intense suffering, and the indescrib- 
able void created by his departure : 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 49 

they are best described in his own 
words in the following extract from 
one of bis own letters. 

"Lvcerxe, August 14, 1892. 
" Dear Dr. Brooks : 

"I am sorry for the news you tell 
me witb all my heart, abont your 
brother's deatb. Not for the dying 
— that is not dreadful — but for tbe 
pain tbat came before it and for tbe 
emptiness which it must leave be- 
hind in places which he used to fill. 
Those are the lamentable things 
about death, its incidents, and not 
the fact itself. May the great fact 
of Life, imperishable, ours because 
we are are God's, be with us more 
and more ! " 



50 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

The great thought of the continu- 
ity of life, referred to in these memo- 
rable words of his, was all-pervading 
in the closing hours of his earthly 
stay. Shortly before the midnight 
preceding the dawning which wit- 
nessed his departure hence, while 
waving his hand, he said " Good- 
b}^e : I am going home. I will see 
3 t ou in the morning." It is not im- 
portant to decide whether or not he 
understood what he said. If he did 
not, it is more impressive and affect- 
ing, as indicating what was in his 
mind. To him, the coming of death 
had no terrors : in going out of this 
world, where at the best life is so 
incomplete, he was to be conducted 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 51 

by this messenger of God to the 
other world, where he would enj'03^ 
life in all its fulness. " St. Francis, 
in that strange companionship into 
which he had entered with all na- 
ture, was wont to call death his 
sweet sister; and there was this, 
surely, of tender beauty in the term, 
that it was this sister Death who 
at length, would lead him by the 
hand to his Saviour, to be with 
Him forevermore." 

Measured by the flight of time, 
the duration of his Episcopate was 
brief; measured by the continuance 
of its blessed results, it will be long, 
yes, forever. 

Sorely bereaved as is the Church 



52 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

by her deprivation of his never-ceas- 
ing labors, we cannot for a moment 
think that they ended with his 
earthly life, bnt are continued in 
the other world, with augmented 
consecration and power. 

" When Death strikes down some 
faithful worker in the prime of his 
usefulness, the most terrible doubt 
that besets us, even w^hen the pain 
of our personal loss is conquered 
and consecrated, is the doubt that 
springs from a sense of waste — of 
so much good material (as far as we 
can see) thrown away; so much la- 
tent power rendered useless, and 
worthy preparation made of none 
effect. We have to learn, in short, 



A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 53 

the supreme lesson of immortality 
— that the divine forces stored in 
the real life of the man are stronger 
than death ; that they are not wasted 
and thrown away when they are 
transferred from the visible and 
bodily sphere of action to the hid- 
den channels of the spiritual world. 
The current of beneficent influence 
is not destroyed — only diverted, and 
re-applied perhaps with vaster issues 
than before." — Wasted Lives. 

Greatly revered Bishop, and dearly 
beloved friend, I cannot say to you, 
" Good-bye "—God be with you — 
for you are already with God : I can 
only fervently pray, earnestly strive, 
humbly trust, that when I depart 



54 A SKETCH OF BISHOP BROOKS. 

hence, I may have the unspeakable 
privilege of " going home," and "see- 
ing you in the morning" which is 
followed by no night, and be with 
you at the side of the Saviour in the 
eternal Eastertide. 



u J)oi# xb §t numUxtb among t#e cf xibxtn 
of &ob, an& $xb tot xb among i§£ sainte!" 

— Wisdom of Solomon , V: 5. 



{pfyittipe (grioft*. 

QSotn, ©eeemfie* 13, 1S3 5. 
trained ©eacon, 3 wf £ *> 18 59* 
£>t5aine5 (priest (Wav 27, I860. 
Consecrated (gi0#op, feefofie* 14, 1891. 
SHe&, ^anuat^ 23, 1693* 



NEW PUBLICATIONS. 

" Spinity (Hehoes," series one. 

Choice selections from the writings of the 

Rt. Rev. Phillips Brooks, D. D. 

Illustrated Covers in White and 

Gold. Price, 30 cents. 

" Srinity SehGes," series two. 

"Manly Words to Manly Men," selected 
from the writings of the Rt. Rev. 
Phillips Brooks, D. D. Illustra- 
ted Cover in White and Gold. 
Price, 30 cents. 

"Swo ©apols," by Phillips Brooks; 

Booklet form, in Violet and Gold ; with 

two illustrations. Price, 25 cents. 

PHOTOGRAPHS. 

The "Andover Photograph " of Bishop Brooks, 

the last picture taken in America; cabinet 

size ; price 50 cents 

The "Smith Photograph" of Bishop Brooks, 

cabinet size, price 35 cents. 

Trinity Church, Boston ; cabinet size, price 
25 cents. 

For sale by the leading Booksellers, or sent post- 
paid on receipt of price by 

D. W. COLBATH & CO, 

publishers axd importers, 

BOSTON* MASS 






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